The Weekly

Weekly Data Snapshot

Sector Review demonstrates strategic value of Australian NGOs as Delivery Partners

Australian NGOs deliver development outcomes well beyond their share of the total aid budget, with particularly strong contributions to gender equality, disability inclusion, education, and climate resilience.

This finding is one of many in a new report released by ACFID titled NGOs as Strategic Valuable Partners.

To Join

Government Relations Meeting

This week in ACFID’s fortnightly government relations meeting, ACFID will be introducing changes to sector advocacy that we will be coordinating in 2026, including how the ACFID coordinated CEO lobbying round will be done differently this year. Any ACFID members who are interested in attending this meeting are welcome. Please contact Sam Crosby at​ [email protected]​ and he will send you a calendar invite. 

All CEOs and Government Relations colleagues will also receive an email shortly following the meeting with all the relevant information.

Date: 2 April 2026

Time: 2:00PM – 3:00PM (AEDT)

To Join

Managing Contractor partnerships – Have Add Your Perspective  

ACFID is inviting members who are currently working with Managing Contractors to join a discussion on key issues, emerging opportunities, and creating healthy and strategic partnerships. This session is aimed at ACFID Member CEOs (or their delegates) and will help identify practical ways to improve the current system, ways of working and partnerships with MCs across the sector and to inform future engagement with DFAT and IDCC. 

The session will take place in April (date to be confirmed). If you are interested to join this discussion, please register your interest with Ujjwal Krishna at ​[email protected]​. If you have questions please feel free to reach out to Matthew at ​[email protected]​.

To Join

Racial Justice Training

With full house attendance, ACFID’s first racial justice training tackled power, discomfit, and brainstormed lots of practice changes. Navanita Bhattacharyra facilitated with great success and challenged our members. 

A few sports are still available for Option 2 and Option 3 training dates in April. This training will (at a minimum) support your understanding and implementation  racial justice and anti-racism strategies in their workplace. The training will also support members meet the new ACFID Code Commitments related to Anti-Racism and Racial Justice. 

There will be pre-reading required for this workshop.  

Training Option 2: Thursday 9th April 2026, 10am-1pm AEST. Register here

Training Option 3: Thursday 16 April 2026, 1-4pm AEST. Register here

To Action

Nominations Open: Development Practice Committee

ACFID member staff are invited to nominate for up to four vacancies on the Development Practice Committee (DPC)—a key advisory group that provides an avenue for committee members to engage with and input to the thematic work of ACFID, develop thought leadership and practice guidance for ACFID’s members, and to deep-dive on policy and practice conversations that impact the work of our membership.

The new terms will run June 2026 – June 2029. The DPC particularly welcomes nominations from those with experience in climate action, locally led action, GEDSI, development policy, and staff from smaller member agencies.

Nominations close 10 April 2026.

Learn more about the committee ​here​ and view the Terms of Reference ​here​.

To nominate, please email your CV and a short (≤1 page) statement addressing the Terms of Reference to ​[email protected].​

We’re excited to share the 2026 National Conference Concept Note, centred on the theme ‘Mobilising the Collective: Reshaping Systems for a Just Future’. The program will focus on how the development and humanitarian sector can use collective voice, solidarity and systems change to respond to intersecting global and domestic challenges. 

We are inviting input into the conference through program suggestions, concurrent session submissions and nominations for our 2026 awards.  You can read the full conference concept note ​here​. 

See more about contributions below.  

Program Input 

Members are invited to recommend speakers and panels for the 2026 Conference. Suggestions that will enable us to amplify and platform diverse, underrepresented, and locally grounded perspectives are especially welcome.  

Suggestions should be aligned with the 2026 theme, ‘Mobilising the Collective: Reshaping Systems for a Just Future’, and at least one of the conference pillars, ‘Collective Voice and Solidarity’, or ‘Influencing and Adapting to Systems-Change’ 

Please submit your suggestions ​via this form​ by Friday 1 May 2026. 

Concurrent Sessions 

We are seeking expressions of interest for concurrent sessions at the 2026 National Conference! ACFID members and other organisations in the sector are invited to propose sessions that contribute to advancing this year’s theme, ‘Mobilising the Collective: Reshaping Systems for a Just Future’. Concurrent sessions breakout sessions from plenary that allow attendees to delve deeper into specific topics and are designed to be more participatory in nature.  

We are especially seeking proposals that: 

• Engage diverse voices and actors, including beyond the sector, 
• Have participatory elements for delegates, and/or, 
• Offer practical insights, actionable strategies, or are focussed on specific outcomes. 

​More information here​ and please submit your EoI by Friday 5 June 2026 to Anne Fitzpatrick at ​[email protected]​.

Nominations for 2026 ACFID Awards 

Nominations are now open for the 2026 ACFID Awards, recognising outstanding contributions to human rights, the development sector, and media reporting. Awards include the Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award, the Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award, and the ACFID Media Award. Recipients will be honoured at ACFID’s National Conference in Canberra. Submit your nomination by Friday, 28 August 2026.  

More information ​here​ 

Consultants

Clear Horizon – 15% off MEL courses

Clear Horizon is a values-driven, B-Corp certified, women-led company. We support teams and organisations to monitor, evaluate, learn and ultimately to improve the impact of their strategies, programs and initiatives. We have nearly 20 years of experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) across the international development sector, including working with DFAT, MFAT, World Bank, United Nations, INGOs and managing contractors. We work across a range of sectors including social and economic development, gender equality, disability inclusion, democracy and civil society strengthening, health, education, infrastructure, climate change and disaster resilience, and agriculture.

We are currently offering the ACFID Network 15% off the cost of five courses commencing in 2026. Check them out here!

Consultants

Exclusive Offer – Free cyber security audits for ACFID members

OSKY have supported ACFID and its members since 2018 and are now generously offering a limited number of complimentary website cyber security audits. You will receive a plain-English report mapped to the ASD Essential Eight with a 30-day action plan, plus an optional 30-minute debrief.Places are limited and opt-in.

Read more and reserve a place here.

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